See Tennessee Vols enjoy Hinkle practice. Uros Plavsic, Zakai Zeigler measure rim height

Erik Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel

The Tennessee Vols men's basketball team held a practice in Indianapolis' Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday ahead of its NCAA Tournament opening-round game Thursday in Indianapolis.

Hinkle is the home of the Butler men's basketball team. It's also where the climax of the movie "Hoosiers" takes place.

The Vols took a scene out of "Hoosiers" by having center Uros Plavsic put guard Zakai Zeigler on his shoulders to measure the height of the hoop.

Hickory High School coach Normal Dale has his team measure the height of the rim at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the movie. In the movie, the player Strap puts his teammate Ollie on his shoulders to measure the height of the rim.

"Ten feet you’ll find it’s the exact same measurements as our gym back in Knoxville," said the Tennessee basketball Twitter account with a photo of Plavsic and Zeigler.

The tweet quoted a line from Dale, who is played by Gene Hackman, in the movie.

Tennessee also shared a more extensive video of the practice that showed the team shooting and doing defensive drills.

The NCAA Tournament games in Indianapolis will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tennessee is scheduled to face Longwood at 2:45 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Tennessee comes into the NCAA Tournament at 26-7 overall. Most recently, Tennessee beat Texas A&M 68-50 in the SEC Tournament championship game.

Rick Barnes is the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball head coach. This is his seventh season as the Tennessee basketball head coach. He previously took Tennessee to the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21.

Tennessee's 2021 NCAA Tournament ended with a first-round loss to No. 12 seed Oregon State.

The Tennessee Vols men’s basketball program made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament during the 1966-67 season. Tennessee has never reached the Final Four. The furthest Tennessee has advanced in the NCAA Tournament is to the Elite Eight in 2009-10.

Here’s more Tennessee basketball news:

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) and Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack (15) share a laugh during practice at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, ahead of the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood.
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) and Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack (15) share a laugh during practice at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, ahead of the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood.

The 2022 NCAA Tournament Final Four in New Orleans starts Saturday, April 2. The NCAA Tournament national championship game is scheduled to take place Monday, April 4.

Erik Hall is the lead digital producer for sports with the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball enjoys Hinkle Fieldhouse practice, measures rim

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